The Pirates Own Book:
Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers

HISTORY OF THE LADRONE PIRATES

And their Depredations on the Coast of China: with an Account of the Enterprises and Victories of Mistress Ching, a Female Pirate.

The Ladrones as they were christened by
the Portuguese at Macao, were originally a
disaffected set of Chinese, that revolted
against the oppression of the Mandarins. The
first scene of their depredations was the
Western coast, about Cochin China, where
they began by attacking small trading
vessels in row boats, carrying from thirty
to forty men each. They continued this
system of piracy, and thrived and increased
in numbers under it, for several years. At
length the fame of their success, and the
oppression and horrid poverty and want that
many of the lower orders of Chinese labored
under, had the effect of augmenting their
bands with astonishing rapidity. Fishermen
and other destitute classes flocked by
hundreds to their standard, and their
audacity growing with their numbers, they
not merely swept the coast, but blockaded
all the rivers and attacked and took several
large government war junks, mounting from
ten to fifteen guns each.--These junks being
added to their shoals of boats, the pirates
formed a tremendous fleet, which was always
along shore, so that no small vessel could
safely trade on the coast. When they lacked
prey on the sea, they laid the land under
tribute. They were at first accustomed to go
on shore and attack the maritime villages,
but becoming bolder, like the Buccaneers,
made long inland journeys, and surprised and
plundered even large towns.

An energetic attempt made by the Chinese
government to destroy them, only increased
their strength; for in their first encounter
with the pirates, twenty-eight of the
Imperial junks struck, and the remaining
twelve saved themselves, by a precipitate
retreat.

The captured junks, fully equipped for
war, were a great acquisition to the
robbers, whose numbers now increased more
rapidly than ever. They were in their
plenitude of power in the year 1809, when
Mr. Glasspoole had the misfortune to fall
into their hands, at which time that
gentleman supposed their force to consist of
70,000 men, navigating eight hundred large
vessels, and one thousand small ones,
including row boats. They were divided into
six large squadrons, under different
flags;--the red, the yellow, the green, the
blue, the black and the white. "These wasps
of the Ocean," as a Chinese historian calls
them, were further distinguished by the
names of their respective commanders: by
these commanders a certain Ching-yih
had been the most distinguished by his valor
and conduct. By degrees, Ching obtained
almost a supremacy of command over the whole
united fleet; and so confident was this
robber in his strength and daily augmenting
means, that he aspired to the dignity of a
king, and went so far as openly to declare
his patriotic intention of hurling the
present Tartar family from the throne of
China, and of restoring the ancient Chinese
dynasty. But unfortunately for the ambitious
pirate, he perished in a heavy gale, and
instead of placing a sovereign on the
Chinese throne, he and his lofty aspirations
were buried in the yellow sea. And now comes
the most remarkable passage in the history
of these pirates--remarkable with any class
of men, but doubly so among the Chinese, who
entertain more than the general oriental
opinion of the inferiority of the fair sex.
On the death of Ching-yih, his
legitimate wife had sufficient influence
over the freebooters to induce them to
recognize her authority in the place of her
deceased husband's, and she appointed one
Paou as her lieutenant and prime
minister, and provided that she should be
considered the mistress or
commander-in-chief of the united squadrons.

This Paou had been a poor
fisher-boy, picked up with his father at
sea, while fishing, by Ching-yih,
whose good will and favor he had the fortune
to captivate, and by whom, before that
pirate's death, he had been made a captain.
Instead of declining under the rule of a
woman, the pirates became more enterprising
than ever. Ching's widow was clever as well
as brave, and so was her lieutenant Paou.
Between them they drew up a code of law for
the better regulation of the freebooters.

In this it was decreed, that if any man
went privately on shore, or did what they
called "transgressing the bars," he should
have his ears slit in the presence of the
whole fleet; a repetition of the same
unlawful act, was death! No one article,
however trifling in value, was to be
privately subtracted from the booty or
plundered goods. Every thing they took was
regularly entered on the register of their
stores. The following clause of Mistress
Ching's code is still more delicate. No
person shall debauch at his pleasure captive
women, taken in the villages and open
places, and brought on board a ship; he must
first request the ship's purser for
permission, and then go aside in the ship's
hold. To use violence, against any woman, or
to wed her, without permission, shall be
punished with death.

By these means an admirable discipline
was maintained on board the ships, and the
peasantry on shore never let the pirates
want for gunpowder, provisions, or any other
necessary. On a piratical expedition, either
to advance or retreat without orders, was a
capital offence. Under these philosophical
institutions, and the guidance of a woman,
the robbers continued to scour the China
sea, plundering every vessel they came near.
The Great War Mandarin, Kwolang-lin sailed
from the Bocca Tigris into the sea to fight
the pirates. Paou gave him a tremendous
drubbing, and gained a splendid victory. In
this battle which lasted from morning to
night, the Mandarin Kwolang-lin, a desperate
fellow himself, levelled a gun at Paou, who
fell on the deck as the piece went off; his
disheartened crew concluded it was all over
with him. But Paou was quick eyed. He had
seen the unfriendly intention of the
mandarin, and thrown himself down. The Great
Mandarin was soon after taken with fifteen
junks; three were sunk. The pirate
lieutenant would have dealt mercifully with
him, but the fierce old man suddenly seized
him by the hair on the crown of his head,
and grinned at him, so that he might provoke
him to slay him. But even then Paou spoke
kindly to him. Upon this he committed
suicide, being seventy years of age.

After several victories and reverses, the
Chinese historian says our men-of-war
escorting some merchant ships, happened to
meet the pirate chief nicknamed "The Jewel
of the Crew" cruising at sea. The traders
became exceedingly frightened, but our
commander said,--This not being the flag of
the widow Ching-yih, we are a match for
them, therefore we will attack and conquer
them. Then ensued a battle; they attacked
each other with guns and stones, and many
people were killed and wounded. The fighting
ceased towards evening, and began again next
morning. The pirates and the men-of-war were
very close to each other, and they boasted
mutually about their strength and valor. The
traders remained at some distance; they saw
the pirates mixing gunpowder in their
beverage,--they looked instantly red about
the face and the eyes, and then fought
desperately. This fighting continued three
days and nights incessantly; at last,
becoming tired on both sides, they
separated.

To understand this inglorious bulletin,
the reader must remember that many of the
combatants only handled bows and arrows, and
pelted stones, and that Chinese powder and
guns are both exceedingly bad. The pathos of
the conclusion does somewhat remind one of
the Irishman's despatch during the American
war,--"It was a bloody battle while it
lasted; and the searjent of marines lost his
cartouche box."

The Admiral Ting River was sent to sea
against them. This man was surprised at
anchor by the ever vigilant Paou, to whom
many fishermen and other people on the
coast, must have acted as friendly spies.
Seeing escape impossible, and that his
officers stood pale and inactive by the
flag-staff, the Admiral conjured them, by
their fathers and mothers, their wives and
children, and by the hopes of brilliant
reward if they succeeded, and of vengeance
if they perished, to do their duty, and the
combat began. The Admiral had the good
fortune, at the onset, of killing with one
of his great guns the pirate captain, "The
Jewel of the Crew." But the robbers swarmed
thicker and thicker around him, and when the
dreaded Paou lay him by the board, without
help or hope, the Mandarin killed himself.
An immense number of his men perished in the
sea, and twenty-five vessels were lost.
After his defeat, it was resolved by the
Chinese Government to cut off all their
supplies of food, and starve them out. All
vessels that were in port were ordered to
remain there, and those at sea, or on the
coast ordered to return with all speed. But
the pirates, full of confidence, now
resolved to attack the harbors themselves,
and to ascend the rivers, which are
navigable for many miles up the country, and
rob the villages. The consternation was
great when the Chinese saw them venturing
above the government forts.

The pirates separated: Mistress Ching
plundering in one place, Paou in another,
and O-po-tae in another, &c.

It was at this time that Mr. Glasspoole
had the ill fortune to fall into their
power. This gentlemen, then an officer in
the East India Company's ship the Marquis of
Ely, which was anchored under an island
about twelve miles from Macao, was ordered
to proceed to the latter place with a boat
to procure a pilot. He left the ship in one
of the cutters, with seven British seamen
well armed, on the 17th September, 1809. He
reached Macao in safety, and having done his
business there and procured a pilot,
returned towards the ship the following day.
But, unfortunately, the ship had weighed
anchor and was under sail, and in
consequence of squally weather, accompanied
with thick fogs, the boat could not reach
her, and Mr. Glasspoole and his men and the
pilot were left at sea, in an open boat.
"Our situation," says that gentleman, "was
truly distressing--night closing fast, with
a threatening appearance, blowing fresh,
with a hard rain and a heavy sea; our boat
very leaky, without a compass, anchor, or
provisions, and drifting fast on a
lee-shore, surrounded with dangerous rocks,
and inhabited by the most barbarous
pirates."

After suffering dreadfully for three
whole days, Mr. Glasspoole, by the advice of
the pilot, made for a narrow channel, where
he presently discovered three large boats at
anchor, which, on seeing the English boat,
weighed and made sail towards it. The pilot
told Mr. Glasspoole they were Ladrones, and
that if they captured the boat, they would
certainly put them all to death! After
rowing tremendously for six hours they
escaped these boats, but on the following
morning falling in with a large fleet of the
pirates, which the English mistook for
fishing-boats, they were captured.

"About twenty savage-looking villains,"
says Mr. Glasspoole, "who were stowed at the
bottom of the boat, leaped on board us. They
were armed with a short sword in either
hand, one of which they layed upon our
necks, and pointed the other to our breasts,
keeping their eyes fixed on their officer,
waiting his signal to cut or desist. Seeing
we were incapable of making any resistance,
the officer sheathed his sword, and the
others immediately followed his example.
They then dragged us into their boat, and
carried us on board one of their junks, with
the most savage demonstrations of joy, and,
as we supposed, to torture and put us to a
cruel death."

When on board the junk they rifled the
Englishmen, and brought heavy chains to
chain them to the deck.

"At this time a boat came, and took me,
with one of my men and an interpreter, on
board the chief's vessel. I was then taken
before the chief. He was seated on deck, in
a large chair, dressed in purple silk, with
a black turban on. He appeared to be about
thirty years of age, a stout
commanding-looking man. He took me by the
coat, and drew me close to him; then
questioned the interpreter very strictly,
asking who we were, and what was our
business in that part of the country. I told
him to say we were Englishmen in distress,
having been four days at sea without
provisions. This he would not credit, but
said we were bad men, and that he would put
us all to death; and then ordered some men
to put the interpreter to the torture until
he confessed the truth. Upon this occasion,
a Ladrone, who had been once to England and
spoke a few words of English, came to the
chief, and told him we were really
Englishmen, and that we had plenty of money,
adding that the buttons on my coat were
gold. The chief then ordered us some coarse
brown rice, of which we made a tolerable
meal, having eaten nothing for nearly four
days, except a few green oranges. During our
repast, a number of Ladrones crowded round
us, examining our clothes and hair, and
giving us every possible annoyance. Several
of them brought swords, and laid them on our
necks, making signs that they would soon
take us on shore, and cut us in pieces,
which I am sorry to say was the fate of some
hundreds during my captivity. I was now
summoned before the chief, who had been
conversing with the interpreter: he said I
must write to my captain, and tell him, if
he did not send an hundred thousand dollars
for our ransom, in ten days he would put us
all to death."

After vainly expostulating to lessen the
ransom, Mr. Glasspoole wrote the letter, and
a small boat came alongside and took it to
Macao.

Early in the night the fleet sailed, and
anchored about one o'clock the following day
in a bay under the island of Lantow, where
the head admiral of Ladrones (our
acquaintance Paou) was lying at anchor, with
about two hundred vessels and a Portuguese
brig they had captured a few days before,
and the captain and part of the crew of
which they had murdered. Early the next
morning, a fishing-boat came to inquire if
they had captured an European boat; they
came to the vessel the English were in.

"One of the boatmen spoke a few words of
English, and told me he had a Ladrone-pass,
and was sent by our captain in search of us;
I was rather surprised to find he had no
letter. He appeared to be well acquainted
with the chief, and remained in his cabin
smoking opium, and playing cards all the
day. In the evening I was summoned with the
interpreter before the chief. He questioned
us in a much milder tone, saying, he now
believed we were Englishmen, a people he
wished to be friendly with; and that if our
captain would lend him seventy thousand
dollars till he returned from his cruise up
the river, he would repay him, and send us
all to Macao. I assured him it was useless
writing on these terms, and unless our
ransom was speedily settled, the English
fleet would sail, and render our enlargement
altogether ineffectual. He remained
determined, and said if it were not sent, he
would keep us, and make us fight, or put us
to death. I accordingly wrote, and gave my
letter to the man belonging to the boat
before mentioned. He said he could not
return with an answer in less than five
days. The chief now gave me the letter I
wrote when first taken. I have never been
able to ascertain his reasons for detaining
it, but suppose he dared not negociate for
our ransom without orders from the head
admiral, who I understood was sorry at our
being captured. He said the English ships
would join the Mandarins and attack them."

While the fleet lay here, one night the
Portuguese who were left in the captured
brig murdered the Ladrones that were on
board of her, cut the cables, and
fortunately escaped through the darkness of
the night.

"At day-light the next morning, the
fleet, amounting to above five hundred sail
of different sizes, weighed, to proceed on
their intended cruise up the rivers, to levy
contributions on the towns and villages. It
is impossible to describe what were my
feelings at this critical time, having
received no answers to my letters, and the
fleet under-way to sail--hundreds of miles
up a country never visited by Europeans,
there to remain probably for many months,
which would render all opportunities for
negotiating for our enlargement totally
ineffectual; as the only method of
communication is by boats that have a pass
from the Ladrones, and they dare not venture
above twenty miles from Macao, being obliged
to come and go in the night, to avoid the
Mandarins; and if these boats should be
detected in having any intercourse with the
Ladrones, they are immediately put to death,
and all their relations, though they had not
joined in the crime, share in the
punishment, in order that not a single
person of their families should be left to
imitate their crimes or avenge their death."

The following is a very touching incident
in Mr. Glasspoole's narrative.

"Wednesday the 26th of September, at
day-light, we passed in sight of our own
ships, at anchor under the island of Chun
Po. The chief then called me, pointed to the
ships, and told the interpreter to tell us
to look at them, for we should never see
them again! About noon we entered a river to
the westward of the Bogue. Three or four
miles from the entrance we passed a large
town situated on the side of a beautiful
hill, which is tributary to the Ladrones;
the inhabitants saluted them with songs as
they passed."

After committing numerous minor
robberies, "The Ladrones now prepared to
attack a town with a formidable force,
collected in row-boats from the different
vessels. They sent a messenger to the town,
demanding a tribute of ten thousand dollars
annually, saying, if these terms were not
complied with, they would land, destroy the
town, and murder all the inhabitants: which
they would certainly have done, had the town
laid in a more advantageous situation for
their purpose; but being placed out of the
reach of their shot, they allowed them to
come to terms. The inhabitants agreed to pay
six thousand dollars, which they were to
collect by the time of our return down the
river. This finesse had the desired effect,
for during our absence they mounted a few
guns on a hill, which commanded the passage,
and gave us in lieu of the dollars, a warm
salute on our return.

"October the 1st, the fleet weighed in
the night, dropped by the tide up the river,
and anchored very quietly before a town
surrounded by a thick wood. Early in the
morning the Ladrones assembled in row-boats,
and landed; then gave a shout, and rushed
into the town, sword in hand. The
inhabitants fled to the adjacent hills, in
numbers apparently superior to the Ladrones.
We may easily imagine to ourselves the
horror with which these miserable people
must be seized, on being obliged to leave
their homes, and everything dear to them. It
was a most melancholy sight to see women in
tears, clasping their infants in their arms,
and imploring mercy for them from those
brutal robbers! The old and the sick, who
were unable to fly, or make resistance, were
either made prisoners or most inhumanly
butchered! The boats continued passing and
repassing from the junks to the shore, in
quick succession, laden with booty, and the
men besmeared with blood! Two hundred and
fifty women and several children, were made
prisoners, and sent on board different
vessels. They were unable to escape with the
men, owing to that abominable practice of
cramping their feet; several of them were
not able to move without assistance. In
fact, they might all be said to totter,
rather than walk. Twenty of these poor women
were sent on board the vessel I was in; they
were hauled on board by the hair, and
treated in a most savage manner. When the
chief came on board, he questioned them
respecting the circumstances of their
friends, and demanded ransoms accordingly,
from six thousand to six hundred dollars
each. He ordered them a berth on deck, at
the after part of the vessel, where they had
nothing to shelter them from the weather,
which at this time was very variable--the
days excessively hot, and the nights cold,
with heavy rains. The town being plundered
of everything valuable, it was set on fire,
and reduced to ashes by the morning. The
fleet remained here three days, negotiating
for the ransom of the prisoners, and
plundering the fish-tanks and gardens.
During all this time, the Chinese never
ventured from the hills, though there were
frequently not more than a hundred Ladrones
on shore at a time, and I am sure the people
on the hills exceeded ten times that number.

"On the 10th we formed a junction with
the Black-squadron, and proceeded many miles
up a wide and beautiful river, passing
several ruins of villages that had been
destroyed by the Black-squadron. On the
17th, the fleet anchored abreast four mud
batteries, which defended a town, so
entirely surrounded with wood, that it was
impossible to form any idea of its size. The
weather was very hazy, with hard squalls of
rain. The Ladrones remained perfectly quiet
for two days. On the third day the forts
commenced a brisk fire for several hours:
the Ladrones did not return a single shot,
but weighed in the night and dropped down
the river. The reasons they gave for not
attacking the town, or returning the fire,
were, that Joss had not promised them
success. They are very superstitious, and
consult their idol on all occasions. If his
omens are good, they will undertake the most
daring enterprises. The fleet now anchored
opposite the ruins of the town where the
women had been made prisoners. Here we
remained five or six days, during which time
about an hundred of the women were ransomed;
the remainder were offered for sale amongst
the Ladrones, for forty dollars each. The
woman is considered the lawful wife of the
purchaser, who would be put to death if he
discarded her. Several of them leaped
overboard and drowned themselves, rather
than submit to such infamous degradation.

"Mei-ying, the wife of Ke-choo-yang, was
very beautiful, and a pirate being about to
seize her by the head, she abused him
exceedingly. The pirate bound her to the
yard-arm; but on abusing him yet more, the
pirate dragged her down and broke two of her
teeth, which filled her mouth and jaws with
blood. The pirate sprang up again to bind
her. Ying allowed him to approach, but as
soon as he came near her, she laid hold of
his garments with her bleeding mouth, and
threw both him and herself into the river,
where they were drowned. The remaining
captives of both sexes were after some
months liberated, on having paid a ransom of
fifteen thousand leang or ounces of silver.

"The fleet then weighed," continues Mr.
Glasspoole, "and made sail down the river,
to receive the ransom from the town
before-mentioned. As we passed the hill,
they fired several shot at us, but without
effect. The Ladrones were much exasperated,
and determined to revenge themselves; they
dropped out of reach of their shot, and
anchored. Every junk sent about a hundred
men each on shore, to cut paddy, and destroy
their orange-groves, which was most
effectually performed for several miles down
the river. During our stay here, they
received information of nine boats lying up
a creek, laden with paddy; boats were
immediately despatched after them. Next
morning these boats were brought to the
fleet; ten or twelve men were taken in them.
As these had made no resistance, the chief
said he would allow them to become Ladrones,
if they agreed to take the usual oaths
before Joss. Three or four of them refused
to comply, for which they were punished in
the following cruel manner: their hands were
tied behind their backs, a rope from the
masthead rove through their arms, and
hoisted three or four feet from the deck,
and five or six men flogged them with their
rattans twisted together till they were
apparently dead; then hoisted them up to the
mast-head, and left them hanging nearly an
hour, then lowered them down, and repeated
the punishment, till they died or complied
with the oath.

"On the 28th of October, I received a
letter from Captain Kay, brought by a
fisherman, who had told him he would get us
all back for three thousand dollars. He
advised me to offer three thousand, and if
not accepted, extend it to four; but not
farther, as it was bad policy to offer much
at first: at the same time assuring me we
should be liberated, let the ransom be what
it would. I offered the chief the three
thousand, which he disdainfully refused,
saying he was not to be played with; and
unless they sent ten thousand dollars, and
two large guns, with several casks of
gunpowder, he would soon put us to death. I
wrote to Captain Kay, and informed him of
the chief's determination, requesting, if an
opportunity offered, to send us a shift of
clothes, for which it may be easily imagined
we were much distressed, having been seven
weeks without a shift; although constantly
exposed to the weather, and of course
frequently wet.

"On the first of November, the fleet
sailed up a narrow river, and anchored at
night within two miles of a town called
Little Whampoa. In front of it was a small
fort, and several Mandarin vessels lying in
the harbor. The chief sent the interpreter
to me, saying, I must order my men to make
cartridges and clean their muskets, ready to
go on shore in the morning. I assured the
interpreter I should give the men no such
orders, that they must please themselves.
Soon after the chief came on board,
threatening to put us all to a cruel death
if we refused to obey his orders. For my own
part I remained determined, and advised the
men not to comply, as I thought by making
ourselves useful we should be accounted too
valuable. A few hours afterwards he sent to
me again, saying, that if myself and the
quarter-master would assist them at the
great guns, that if also the rest of the men
went on shore and succeeded in taking the
place, he would then take the money offered
for our ransom, and give them twenty dollars
for every Chinaman's head they cut off. To
these proposals we cheerfully acceded, in
hopes of facilitating our deliverance.

"The Mandarin vessels continued firing,
having blocked up the entrance of the harbor
to prevent the Ladrone boats entering. At
this the Ladrones were much exasperated, and
about three hundred of them swam on shore,
with a short sword lashed close under each
arm; they then ran along the banks of the
river till they came abreast of the vessels,
and then swam off again and boarded them.
The Chinese thus attacked, leaped overboard,
and endeavored to reach the opposite shore;
the Ladrones followed, and cut the greater
number of them to pieces in the water. They
next towed the vessels out of the harbor,
and attacked the town with increased fury.
The inhabitants fought about a quarter of an
hour, and then retreated to an adjacent
hill, from which they were soon driven with
great slaughter. After this the Ladrones
returned, and plundered the town, every boat
leaving it with lading. The Chinese on the
hills perceiving most of the boats were off,
rallied, and retook the town, after killing
near two hundred Ladrones. One of my men was
unfortunately lost in this dreadful
massacre! The Ladrones landed a second time,
drove the Chinese out of the town, then
reduced it to ashes, and put all their
prisoners to death, without regarding either
age or sex! I must not omit to mention a
most horrid (though ludicrous) circumstance
which happened at this place. The Ladrones
were paid by their chief ten dollars for
every Chinaman's head they produced. One of
my men turning the corner of a street was
met by a Ladrone running furiously after a
Chinese; he had a drawn sword in his hand,
and two Chinaman's heads which he had cut
off, tied by their tails, and slung round
his neck. I was witness myself to some of
them producing five or six to obtain
payment!

"On the 4th of November an order arrived
from the admiral for the fleet to proceed
immediately to Lantow, where he was lying
with only two vessels, and three Portuguese
ships and a brig constantly annoying him;
several sail of Mandarin vessels were daily
expected. The fleet weighed and proceeded
towards Lantow. On passing the island of
Lintin, three ships and a brig gave chase to
us. The Ladrones prepared to board; but
night closing we lost sight of them: I am
convinced they altered their course and
stood from us. These vessels were in the pay
of the Chinese Government, and styled
themselves the Invincible Squadron, cruising
in the river Tigris to annihilate the
Ladrones!

"On the fifth, in the morning, the red
squadron anchored in a bay under Lantow; the
black squadron stood to the eastward. In the
afternoon of the 8th of November, four
ships, a brig, and a schooner came off the
mouth of the bay. At first the pirates were
much alarmed, supposing them to be English
vessels come to rescue us. Some of them
threatened to hang us to the mast-head for
them to fire at; and with much difficulty we
persuaded them that they were Portuguese.
The Ladrones had only seven junks in a fit
state for action; these they hauled outside,
and moored them head and stern across the
bay, and manned all the boats belonging to
the repairing vessels ready for boarding.
The Portuguese observing these manoeuvres
hove to, and communicated by boats. Soon
afterwards they made sail, each ship firing
her broadside as she passed, but without
effect, the shot falling far short. The
Ladrones did not return a single shot, but
waved their colors, and threw up rockets, to
induce them to come further in, which they
might easily have done, the outside junks
lying in four fathoms water, which I sounded
myself: though the Portuguese in their
letters to Macao lamented there was not
sufficient water for them to engage closer,
but that they would certainly prevent their
escaping before the Mandarin fleet arrived!

A Ladrone Pirate, cutting off the
Heads of the Chinese.

"On the 20th of November, early in the
morning, discovered an immense fleet of
Mandarin vessels standing for the bay. On
nearing us, they formed a line, and stood
close in; each vessel, as she discharged her
guns, tacked to join the rear and reload.
They kept up a constant fire for about two
hours, when one of their largest vessels was
blown up by a firebrand thrown from a
Ladrone junk; after which they kept at a
more respectful distance, but continued
firing without intermission till the 21st at
night, when it fell calm. The Ladrones towed
out seven large vessels, with about two
hundred row-boats to board them: but a
breeze springing up, they made sail and
escaped. The Ladrones returned into the bay,
and anchored. The Portuguese and Mandarins
followed, and continued a heavy cannonading
during that night and the next day. The
vessel I was in had her foremast shot away,
which they supplied very expeditiously by
taking a mainmast from a smaller vessel.

On the 23d, in the evening, it again fell
calm; the Ladrones towed out fifteen junks
in two divisions, with the intention of
surrounding them, which was nearly effected,
having come up with and boarded one, when a
breeze suddenly sprang up. The captured
vessel mounted twenty-two guns. Most of her
crew leaped overboard; sixty or seventy were
taken, immediately cut to pieces, and thrown
into the river. Early in the morning the
Ladrones returned into the bay, and anchored
in the same situation as before. The
Portuguese and Mandarins followed, keeping
up a constant fire. The Ladrones never
returned a single shot, but always kept in
readiness to board, and the Portuguese were
careful never to allow them an opportunity.

"On the 28th, at night they sent eight
fire-vessels, which, if properly
constructed, must have done great execution,
having every advantage they could wish for
to effect their purpose; a strong breeze and
tide directed into the bay, and the vessels
lying so close together, that it was
impossible to miss them. On their first
appearance, the Ladrones gave a general
shout, supposing them to be Mandarin vessels
on fire, but were very soon convinced of
their mistake. They came very regularly into
the centre of the fleet, two and two,
burning furiously; one of them came
alongside of the vessel I was in, but they
succeeded in booming her off. She appeared
to be a vessel of about thirty tons; her
hold was filled with straw and wood, and
there were a few small boxes of combustibles
on her deck, which exploded alongside of us
without doing any damage. The Ladrones,
however, towed them all on shore,
extinguished the fire, and broke them up for
firewood. The Portuguese claim the credit of
constructing these destructive machines, and
actually sent a despatch to the Governor of
Macao, saying they had destroyed at least
one-third of the Ladrone's fleet, and hoped
soon to effect their purpose by totally
annihilating them!

"On the 29th of November, the Ladrones
being all ready for sea, they weighed and
stood boldly out, bidding defiance to the
invincible squadron and imperial fleet,
consisting of ninety-three war-junks, six
Portuguese ships, a brig, and a schooner.
Immediately after the Ladrones weighed, they
made all sail. The Ladrones chased them two
or three hours, keeping up a constant fire;
finding they did not come up with them, they
hauled their wind, and stood to the
eastward. Thus terminated the boasted
blockade, which lasted nine days, during
which time the Ladrones completed all their
repairs. In this action not a single Ladrone
vessel was destroyed, and their loss was
about thirty or forty men. An American was
also killed, one of three that remained out
of eight taken in a schooner. I had two very
narrow escapes: the first, a twelve pounder
shot fell within three or four feet of me;
another took a piece out of a small
brass-swivel on which I was standing. The
chief's wife frequently sprinkled me with
garlick-water, which they considered an
effectual charm against shot. The fleet
continued under sail all night, steering
towards the eastward. In the morning they
anchored in a large bay surrounded by lofty
and barren mountains. On the 2d of December
I received a letter from Lieutenant Maughn,
commander of the Honorable Company's cruiser
Antelope, saying that he had the ransom on
board, and had been three days cruising
after us, and wished me to settle with the
chief on the securest method of delivering
it. The chief agreed to send us in a small
gun-boat till we came within sight of the
Antelope; then the compradore's boat was to
bring the ransom and receive us. I was so
agitated at receiving this joyful news, that
it was with difficulty I could scrawl about
two or three lines to inform Lieutenant
Maughn of the arrangements I had made. We
were all so deeply affected by the
gratifying tidings, that we seldom closed
our eyes, but continued watching day and
night for the boat.

"On the 6th she returned with Lieutenant
Maughn's answer, saying, he would respect
any single boat; but would not allow the
fleet to approach him. The chief, then,
according to his first proposal, ordered a
gun-boat to take us, and with no small
degree of pleasure we left the Ladrone fleet
about four o'clock in the afternoon. At one
P.M. saw the Antelope under all sail,
standing towards us. The Ladrone boat
immediately anchored, and dispatched the
compradore's boat for the ransom, saying,
that if she approached nearer they would
return to the fleet; and they were just
weighing when she shortened sail, and
anchored about two miles from us. The boat
did not reach her till late in the
afternoon, owing to the tide's being strong
against her. She received the ransom and
left the Antelope just before dark. A
Mandarin boat that had been lying concealed
under the land, and watching their
manoeuvres, gave chace to her, and was
within a few fathoms of taking her, when she
saw a light, which the Ladrones answered,
and the Mandarin hauled off. Our situation
was now a critical one; the ransom was in
the hands of the Ladrones, and the
compradore dare not return with us for fear
of a second attack from the Mandarin boat.
The Ladrones would not wait till morning, so
we were obliged to return with them to the
fleet. In the morning the chief inspected
the ransom, which consisted of the following
articles: two bales of superfine cloth; two
chests of opium; two casks of gunpowder, and
a telescope; the rest in dollars. He
objected to the telescope not being new; and
said he should detain one of us till another
was sent, or a hundred dollars in lieu of
it. The compradore, however, agreed with him
for the hundred dollars. Every thing being
at length settled, the chief ordered two
gun-boats to convey us near the Antelope; we
saw her just before dusk, when the Ladrone
boats left us. We had the inexpressible
pleasure of arriving on board the Antelope
at seven, P.M., where we were most cordially
received, and heartily congratulated on our
safe and happy deliverance from a miserable
captivity, which we had endured for eleven
weeks and three days.

(Signed) "RICHARD GLASSPOOLE. China,
December 8th. 1809."

"The Ladrones have no settled residence
on shore, but live constantly in their
vessels. The after-part is appropriated to
the captain and his wives; he generally has
five or six. With respect to the conjugal
rights they are religiously strict; no
person is allowed to have a woman on board,
unless married to her according to their
laws. Every man is allowed a small berth,
about four feet square, where he stows with
his wife and family. From the number of
souls crowded in so small a space, it must
naturally be supposed they are horridly
dirty, which is evidently the case, and
their vessels swarm with all kinds of
vermin. Rats in particular, which they
encourage to breed, and eat as great
delicacies; in fact, there are very few
creatures they will not eat. During our
captivity we lived three weeks on
caterpillars boiled with rice. They are much
addicted to gambling, and spend all their
leisure hours at cards and smoking opium."

The War Junks of the Ladrones.

At the time of Mr. Glasspoole's liberation,
the pirates were at the height of their
power; after such repeated victories over
the Mandarin ships, they had set at nought
the Imperial allies--the Portuguese, and not
only the coast, but the rivers of the
celestial empire seemed to be at their
discretion--and yet their formidable
association did not many months survive this
event. It was not, however, defeat that
reduced it to the obedience of the laws. On
the contrary, that extraordinary woman, the
widow of Ching-yih, and the daring Paou,
were victorious and more powerful than ever,
when dissensions broke out among the pirates
themselves. Ever since the favor of the
chieftainess had elevated Paou to the
general command, there had been enmity and
altercations between him and the chief
O-po-tae, who commanded one of the flags or
divisions of the fleet; and it was only by
the deference and respect they both owed to
Ching-yih's widow, that they had been
prevented from turning their arms against
each other long before.

At length, when the brave Paou was
surprised and cooped up by a strong
blockading force of the Emperor's ships,
O-po-tae showed all his deadly spite, and
refused to obey the orders of Paou, and even
of the chieftainess, which were, that he
should sail to the relief of his rival.

Paou, with his bravery and usual good
fortune, broke through the blockade, but
when he came in contact with O-po-tae, his
rage was too violent to be restrained.

O-po-tae at first pleaded that his means
and strength had been insufficient to do
what had been expected of him, but concluded
by saying,--"Am I bound to come and join the
forces of Paou?"

"Would you then separate from us!" cried
Paou, more enraged than ever.

O-po-tae answered: "I will not separate
myself."

Paou:--"Why then do you not obey the
orders of the wife of Ching-yih and my own?
What is this else than separation, that you
do not come to assist me, when I am
surrounded by the enemy? I have sworn it
that I will destroy thee, wicked man, that I
may do away with this soreness on my back."

The summons of Paou, when blockaded, to
O-po-tae was in language equally
figurative:--"I am harassed by the
Government's officers outside in the sea;
lips and teeth must help one another, if the
lips are cut away the teeth will feel cold.
How shall I alone be able to fight the
Government forces? You should therefore come
at the head of your crew, to attack the
Government squadron in the rear. I will then
come out of my station and make an attack in
front; the enemy being so taken in the front
and rear, will, even supposing we cannot
master him, certainly be thrown into
disorder."

The angry words of Paou were followed by
others, and then by blows. Paou, though at
the moment far inferior in force, first
began the fight, and ultimately sustained a
sanguinary defeat, and the loss of sixteen
vessels. Our loathing for this cruel,
detestable race, must be increased by the
fact, that the victors massacred all their
prisoners--or three hundred men!

This was the death-blow to the
confederacy which had so long defied the
Emperor's power, and which might have
effected his dethronement. O-po-tae dreading
the vengeance of Paou and his mistress,
Ching-yih's widow, whose united forces would
have quintupled his own, gained over his men
to his views, and proffered a submission to
Government, on condition of free pardon, and
a proper provision for all.

The petition of the pirates is so curious
a production, and so characteristic of the
Chinese, that it deserves to be inserted at
length. "It is my humble opinion that all
robbers of an overpowering force, whether
they had their origin from this or any other
cause, have felt the humanity of Government
at different times. Leang-sham, who three
times plundered the city, was nevertheless
pardoned, and at last made a minister of
state. Wakang often challenged the arms of
his country, and was suffered to live, and
at last made a corner-stone of the empire.
Joo-ming pardoned seven times Mang-hwo; and
Kwan-kung three times set Tsaou-tsaou at
liberty. Ma-yuen pursued not the exhausted
robbers; and Yo-fei killed not those who
made their submission. There are many
instances of such transactions both in
former and recent times, by which the
country was strengthened, and government
increased its power. We now live in a very
populous age; some of us could not agree
with their relations, and were driven out
like noxious weeds. Some, after having tried
all they could, without being able to
provide for themselves, at last joined bad
society. Some lost their property by
shipwrecks; some withdrew into this watery
empire to escape from punishment. In such a
way those who in the beginning were only
three or five, were in the course of time
increased to a thousand or ten thousand, and
so it went on increasing every year. Would
it not have been wonderful if such a
multitude, being in want of their daily
bread, had not resorted to plunder and
robbery to gain their subsistence, since
they could not in any other manner be saved
from famine? It was from necessity that the
laws of the empire were violated, and the
merchants robbed of their goods. Being
deprived of our land and of our native
places, having no house or home to resort
to, and relying only on the chances of wind
and water, even could we for a moment forget
our griefs, we might fall in with a
man-of-war, who with stones, darts, and
guns, would knock out our brains! Even if we
dared to sail up a stream and boldly go on
with anxiety of mind under wind, rain, and
stormy weather, we must everywhere prepare
for fighting. Whether we went to the east,
or to the west, and after having felt all
the hardships of the sea, the night dew was
our only dwelling, and the rude wind our
meal. But now we will avoid these perils,
leave our connexions, and desert our
comrades; we will make our submission. The
power of Government knows no bounds; it
reaches to the islands in the sea, and every
man is afraid, and sighs. Oh we must be
destroyed by our crimes, none can escape who
opposeth the laws of Government. May you
then feel compassion for those who are
deserving of death; may you sustain us by
your humanity!"

The Government that had made so many
lamentable displays of its weakness, was
glad to make an unreal parade of its mercy.
It was but too happy to grant all the
conditions instantly, and, in the fulsome
language of its historians, "feeling that
compassion is the way of heaven--that it is
the right way to govern by righteousness--it
therefore redeemed these pirates from
destruction, and pardoned their former
crimes."

O-po-tae, however, had hardly struck his
free flag, and the pirates were hardly in
the power of the Chinese, when it was
proposed by many that they should all be
treacherously murdered. The governor
happened to be more honorable and humane, or
probably, only more politic than those who
made this foul proposal--he knew that such a
bloody breach of faith would for ever
prevent the pirates still in arms from
voluntary submitting; he knew equally well,
even weakened as they were by O-po-tae's
defection, that the Government could not
reduce them by force, and he thought by
keeping his faith with them, he might turn
the force of those who had submitted against
those who still held out, and so destroy the
pirates with the pirates. Consequently the
eight thousand men, it had been proposed to
cut off in cold blood, were allowed to
remain uninjured, and their leader,
O-po-tae, having changed his name to that of
Hoe-been, or, "The Lustre of Instruction,"
was elevated to the rank of an imperial
officer.

The widow of Ching-yih, and her favorite
Paou, continued for some months to pillage
the coast, and to beat the Chinese and the
Mandarins' troops and ships, and seemed
almost as strong as before the separation of
O-po-tae's flag. But that example was
probably operating in the minds of many of
the outlaws, and finally the lawless heroine
herself, who was the spirit that kept the
complicate body together, seeing that
O-po-tae had been made a government officer,
and that he continued to prosper, began also
to think of making her submission.

"I am," said she, "ten times stronger
than O-po-tae, and government will perhaps,
if I submit, act towards me as they have
done with O-po-tae."

A rumor of her intentions having reached
shore, the Mandarin sent off a certain Chow,
a doctor of Macao, "Who," says the
historian, "being already well acquainted
with the pirates, did not need any
introduction," to enter on preliminaries
with them.

When the worthy practitioner presented
himself to Paou, that friend concluded he
had been committing some crime, and had come
for safety to that general refugium
peccatorum, the pirate fleet.

The Doctor explained, and assured the
chief, that if he would submit, Government
was inclined to treat him and his far more
favorably and more honorably than O-po-tae.
But if he continued to resist, not only a
general arming of all the coast and the
rivers, but O-po-tae was to proceed against
him.

At this part of his narrative our Chinese
historian is again so curious, that I shall
quote his words at length.

"When Fei-heung-Chow came to Paou, he
said: 'Friend Paou, do you know why I come
to you?'"

"Paou.--'Thou hast committed some crime
and comest to me for protection?'"

"Chow.--'By no means.'"

"Paou.--'You will then know how it stands
concerning the report about our submission,
if it is true or false?'"

"Chow.--'You are again wrong here, Sir.
What are you in comparison with O-po-tae?'"

"Paou.--'Who is bold enough to compare me
with O-po-tae?'"

"Chow.--'I know very well that O-po-tae
could not come up to you, Sir; but I mean
only, that since O-po-tae has made his
submission, since he has got his pardon and
been created a Government officer,--how
would it be, if you with your whole crew
should also submit, and if his Excellency
should desire to treat you in the same
manner, and to give you the same rank as
O-po-tae? Your submission would produce more
joy to Government than the submission of
O-po-tae. You should not wait for wisdom to
act wisely; you should make up your mind to
submit to the Government with all your
followers. I will assist you in every
respect, it would be the means of securing
your own happiness and the lives of all your
adherents.'"

"Chang-paou remained like a statue
without motion, and Fei-heung Chow went on
to say: 'You should think about this affair
in time, and not stay till the last moment.
Is it not clear that O-po-tae, since you
could not agree together, has joined
Government. He being enraged against you,
will fight, united with the forces of the
Government, for your destruction; and who
could help you, so that you might overcome
your enemies? If O-po-tae could before
vanquish you quite alone, how much more can
he now when he is united with Government?
O-po-tae will then satisfy his hatred
against you, and you yourself will soon be
taken either at Wei-chow or at Neaou-chow.
If the merchant-vessels of Hwy-chaou, the
boats of Kwang-chow, and all the
fishing-vessels, unite together to surround
and attack you in the open sea, you will
certainly have enough to do. But even
supposing they should not attack you, you
will soon feel the want of provisions to
sustain you and all your followers. It is
always wisdom to provide before things
happen; stupidity and folly never think
about future events. It is too late to
reflect upon events when things have
happened; you should, therefore, consider
this matter in time!'"

Paou was puzzled, but after being
closeted for some time with his mistress,
Ching-yih's widow, who gave her high
permission for him to make arrangements with
Doctor Chow, he said he would repair with
his fleet to the Bocca Tigris, and there
communicate personally with the organs of
Government.

After two visits had been paid to the
pirate-fleets by two inferior Mandarins, who
carried the Imperial proclamation of free
pardon, and who, at the order of Ching-yih's
widow, were treated to a sumptuous banquet
by Paou, the Governor-general of the
province went himself in one vessel to the
pirates' ships, that occupied a line of ten
le off the mouth of the river.

As the governor approached, the pirates
hoisted their flags, played on their
instruments, and fired their guns, so that
the smoke rose in clouds, and then bent sail
to meet him. On this the dense population
that were ranged thousands after thousands
along the shore, to witness the important
reconciliation, became sorely alarmed, and
the Governor-general seems to have had a
strong inclination to run away. But in brief
space of time, the long dreaded widow of
Ching-yih, supported by her Lieutenant Paou,
and followed by three other of her principal
commanders, mounted the side of the
governor's ship, and rushed through the
smoke to the spot where his excellency was
stationed; where they fell on their hands
and knees, shed tears, knocked their heads
on the deck before him, and received his
gracious pardon, and promised for future
kind treatment. They then withdrew
satisfied, having promised to give in a list
of their ships, and of all else they
possessed, within three days.

But the sudden apparition of some large
Portuguese ships, and some Government
war-junks, made the pirates suspect
treachery. They immediately set sail, and
the negociations were interrupted for
several days.

They were at last concluded by the
boldness of their female leader. "If the
Governor-general," said this heroine, "a man
of the highest rank, could come to us quite
alone, why should not I, a mean woman, go to
the officers of Government? If there be
danger in it, I take it all on myself; no
person among you need trouble himself about
me--my mind is made up, and I will go to
Canton!"

Paou said--"If the widow of Ching-yih
goes, we must fix a time for her return. If
this pass without our obtaining any
information, we must collect all our forces,
and go before Canton: this is my opinion as
to what ought to be done; comrades, let me
hear yours!"

The pirates, then, struck with the
intrepidity of their chieftainess, and
loving her more than ever, answered, "Friend
Paou, we have heard thy opinion, but we
think it better to wait for the news here,
on the water, than to send the wife of
Ching-yih alone to be killed." Nor would
they allow her to leave the fleet.

Matters were in this state of indecision,
when the two inferior Mandarins who had
before visited the pirates, ventured out to
repeat their visit. These officers protested
no treachery had been intended, and pledged
themselves, that if the widow of Ching-yih
would repair to the Governor, she would be
kindly received, and every thing settled to
their hearts' satisfaction.

With this, in the language of our old
ballads, upspoke Mrs. Ching. "You say well,
gentlemen! and I will go myself to Canton
with some other of our ladies, accompanied
by you!" And accordingly, she and a number
of the pirates' wives with their children,
went fearlessly to Canton, arranged every
thing, and found they had not been deceived.
The fleet soon followed. On its arrival
every vessel was supplied with pork and with
wine, and every man (in lieu it may be
supposed, of his share of the vessels, and
plundered property he resigned) received at
the same time a bill for a certain quantity
of money. Those who wished it, could join
the military force of Government for
pursuing the remaining pirates; and those
who objected, dispersed and withdrew into
the country. "This is the manner in which
the great red squadron of the pirates was
pacified."

The valiant Paou, following the example
of his rival O-po-tae, entered into the
service of Government, and proceeded against
such of his former associates and friends as
would not accept the pardon offered them.
There was some hard fighting, but the two
renegadoes successively took the chief Shih
Url, forced the redoubtable captain, styled
"The scourge of the Eastern Ocean" to
surrender himself, drove "Frog's Meal,"
another dreadful pirate, to Manilla, and
finally, and within a few months, destroyed
or dissipated the "wasps of the ocean"
altogether.

I have already noticed the marked
intention of the Chinese historian, to paint
the character of Paou in a poetical or epic
manner. When describing the battle with
Shih-Url, he says:--

"They fought from seven o'clock in the
morning till one at noon, burnt ten vessels,
and killed an immense number of the pirates.
Shih-Url was so weakened that he could
scarcely make any opposition. On perceiving
this through the smoke, Paou mounted on a
sudden the vessel of the pirate, and cried
out: 'I Chang Paou am come,' and at the same
moment he cut some pirates to pieces; the
remainder were then hardly dealt with. Paou
addressed himself in an angry tone to Shih-Url,
and said: 'I advise you to submit: will you
not follow my advice? what have you to say?'
Shih-Url was struck with amazement, and his
courage left him. Paou advanced and bound
him, and the whole crew were then taken
captives."

"From that period," says our Chinese
historian, in conclusion, "ships began to
pass and repass in tranquillity. All became
quiet on the rivers, and tranquil on the
four seas. People lived in peace and plenty.
Men sold their arms and bought oxen to
plough their fields; they buried sacrifices,
said prayers on the tops of the hills, and
rejoiced themselves by singing behind
screens during day-time"--and (grand climax
to all!) the Governor of the province, in
consideration of his valuable services in
the pacification of the pirates, was allowed
by an edict of the "Son of Heaven," to wear
peacocks' feathers with two eyes!